All I'm gonna say in response to that is...there's a whole lotta supposition going on there....I do sometimes wonder where you get some of your thoughts from.
Well let's take Kiyomi at the first Callista-Veronica meeting.
Question/Mystery: "Why is Kiyomi there? What does Kiyomi know? Why doesn't Kiyomi attack/reveal herself to the pair?"
I then look at the evidence of who the characters are, their codes and motivations, their uncontrolled internal monologue and automatic emotional/mental/physical responses to unexpected prompts being their only guaranteed honest thoughts/actions. I examine their actions and what they clearly know later in the game that there's no evidence of them knowing something prior to the scene in question. I consider relationships, who is loyal/working for/allied to whom, or against whom. I then consider every possible scenario that could match the evidence presented.
There is nothing in the scene that explicitly demonstrates Kiyomi knows who either woman is upon her arrival... but there is also no evidence that Kiyomi DOESN'T know who one or both of the women are, so until more evidence/revelation is given at a later date all four scenarios are possible: 1) Kiyomi doesn't know either, 2) Kiyomi knows who Veronica is, but not Callista, 3) Kiyomi knows who Callista is but not Veronica, 4) Kiyomi doesn't know who either of them are.
I also didn't mention there is the possibility that Kiyomi just saw the pair, but they were speaking too low for her to hear or make out what they were saying. Again, we don't have any evidence that confirms or denies whether Kiyomi could hear the conversation, as there has been ZERO follow-up to Kiyomi being there, making it almost seem like Tess including her was either a pointless addition (like Olivia deciding which Department she will work with first), or she just forgot (like Pamela).
I also look at multiple scenes, in the previous case, every scene with Otto, every non-sex scene with Junko, all of her scenes and statements about Dominique, all the scenes that suggests a connection between Otto and Dominique (there are none), every scene with Kiyomi (who is working with Otto), and others, but that's getting into the weeds.
As for the "important conversations happen after fade-to-black", here are some examples just off the top of my head (paraphrased):
Ep. 5 - Veronica-Yvette-Elena
V: Now I need to go over the logistics of this part of our project that Kiyomi has been running the day-to-day operations on, so buckle-up, we're going to be here a while.
BLACK
Ep. 5 - Dominique Proposes an Alliance
J: Alright, I'll consider the evidence [of Veronica pushing Olivia to the top] you have, but let's get off the boat first before you show me.
BLACK
Ep. 7 - Grymm Gudinna Lives
A: I want my sisters ready to kill each, and with any luck, that one of them will die. Now shut up and I'll tell you what I want you to do.
BLACK
Um, what? Sorry, but you're making stuff up. Kiyomi was talking about the servant in the red mask (who turned out to be
Callista, I FUCKING TOLD YOU GUYS!
), not about Otto himself. The text doesn't leave room for interpretation, it's very clear whom she recognised. Kiyomi clearly is not a part of whatever DeKocks/Otto/RedMask are planning, but she didn't rat them either, which, depending on said goal, could make her a potential ally.
Ep. 6 Kiyomi and Otto on top of the sub
K: ...but I'm a little disappointed in you.
O: Why?
K: No one else will likely notice it, but I did. You made a mistake.
O: I did?
K: Yes. It's not enough to hide one's appearance. A very keen eye might recognize even the subtle movements that are unique and specific to an individual.
WHO made a mistake? Kiyomi says "You" meaning "Otto". The fake failed to properly copy Otto's subtle movements, so a keen eye would realize that something was wrong, and that "Otto" is not Otto. Kiyomi does not mention anyone else as messing up. If Callista is the one that messed up, then the fault is hers, NOT Otto's, especially considering her intelligence, and evident propensity for subterfuge. Why then would honorable Kiyomi blame an innocent party for another person's mistake?
And you say I'm making stuff up when Kiyomi specifically calls out Otto.
